Since moving here I have said to myself that I will blog more often, to keep a track of the adventure that is living in Asia, but before I knew it, it’s the middle of June, and we’ve been here for 5 months!
Just after Easter, we took a short trip to Guilin in China. It only takes 3.5 hours to get there by high speed train, and immigration into China is here in Hong Kong, making it a very doable trip.
Ben and I plan to do a longer China trip in September, a bit more off the beaten track and so we really wanted to try and navigate the local transport on our own. People were so friendly and helpful, and even though we have next to no Mandarin, we were able to navigate our way to the old town of Daxu – which we felt was quite an accomplishment!
We continue to use Mondays (our day off) to explore Hong Kong and the surrounding islands. Here are a few pics from our visit to Tian Tan Giant Buddha…
and the old fishing village of Tai O…
and our most recent trip to the small island of Cheung Chau…
Next month we’re travelling to Seoul in Korea for Ben’s birthday and looking forward to learning more about that beautiful country!
It’s hard to believe that it has been over 2 months since we replaced the icy roads and snowy skies of Sweden with the balmier climes of Hong Kong, and we are loving our new city!
We were so grateful to receive our shipment around 3 weeks ago now, and it really made our apartment feel more like home, and we are back to it creating music in our home studio set-up!
People often ask us if we feel settled now, and in response I say “more and more each week”. You can easily forget that it’s a big thing to move countries, and this time for us continents(!), and to begin to navigate a new culture. Interestingly, I feel that there is less of a language barrier here than in Sweden, because English is so prevalent in the business culture that exists here. And I love that Hong Kong is also a real mesh of East meets West! I need to get working on my Cantonese though… hhmmm…
Hong Kong is a city like no other and we find ourselves enjoying the buzz of city-life we realised we had been missing since leaving London 5 years ago.
And then there’s the nature: The juxtaposition of the city and nature is like nothing I have ever experienced in the UK or Sweden, or for any length of time while travelling. Here in HK, you really can take a short taxi ride out of the bustling city and be surrounded by nature within minutes, with no trace of the skyscrapers that Hong Kong is renowned for…
We’re getting out and about exploring the city and its surrounding islands and here are a few pictures from our recent trip to Lamma Island, which is just a short ferry ride away…
I also love our local market on Graham Street where I head to stock up on fresh produce…
Now we are settled my hope is to blog more about our Asian adventures, so until next time…
As you may have seen a few weeks back, I have already alluded to the fact that Ben and I are going to be moving away from Sweden in January… and yes, in just a few short weeks we will be!
This year has been a huge journey for us in our faith: we’ve been exploring various directions and one thing has become abundantly clear – working and serving in church ministry is where we feel called to next. It is something we have both missed deeply since we left our roles at Immanuel Church and we are really excited to be taking up the position(s) of the new worship / technical directors at Community Church Hong Kong!
Hong Kong is a place that has been on our hearts since we first visited there in 2009 (as seen in the photo below) and over the past few months, we’ve had the privilege of exploring this possibility in more depth. Two visits in recent months later and a series of somewhat remarkable events have led us here… where we have been busily getting things sorted in Sweden, alongside a much needed Christmas break in the US!
Hong Kong visit 2009!
One thing that we love is getting to work together and, as we have done in the past, Ben and I are going to be sharing the role in the church – with me working as worship director (70%) and Ben as technical director (30%). The rest of the time we will be working on our own music, which has seen incredible growth over the past 12 months and we are excited to continue to develop over the coming months and years.
We truly appreciate all your prayers and encouragements as we prepare for this next adventure! Hope to see you in HK!
For us it is the start of a new chapter. One that requires faith from us on a deeper level than perhaps ever before.
If you read my previous blog post you’ll know that for the last few months we have been pushing on various doors, trying to discern where God is calling us to be. For a while we thought that maybe we were being led back into music ministry in a church setting?
And I don’t write that possibility off. At some point, I think we may well be called to serve in a church again. In fact, I now know that we will always work in music ministry… sometimes that will be in a church setting… perhaps sometimes in several churches… and always with our own music. Our own music ministry.
Yesterday was my last day of teaching…
And as of today, we are now fully reliant on income from our our own music and freelance work.
This still sounds a little scary to me but here is what I know…
Our music as Salt Of The Sound and Narrow Skies continues to grow.
God continues to open doors with our music in small ways.
Ben has worked on this full-time for the past year and we have seen considerable growth, and if I can give everything I have too, we hope and trust that our efforts will be multiplied.
I like plans. I like comfort and security. But I am having to let go and trust. So it goes without saying that this is not a decision we have taken lightly. It has required a huge leap of faith – one which we will need to cling to ongoing.
But through taking this leap and trusting fully I have found a peace.
We may not have it all completely worked out but I know it’s going to be good.
We’ve recently launched a Kickstarter – we’d love for you to partner with us if you feel able and help spread the message carried in our music further than we can alone!
Well, almost. While I had certainly hoped for a white Christmas at the end of 2016 (as always), it was not to be…
In the following early months of 2017 we have faced many icy cold days – complete with a snow-covered landscape (on and off) and frozen lakes (complete with many ice-skaters of course!).
But having spoken to many locals who have been around a lot longer than I, it seems that the Swedish weather may be a little more confused than ever…
This isn’t the first time that weird weather has affected Sweden in recent years. Our first summer here (2014) was hot and humid interspersed with freak thunderstorms that flooded underground stations and caught everyone by surprise. The following winter was surprisingly mild with very little snow, and then in early November last year (2016) Stockholm experienced its snowiest day for 111 years which brought the city to a standstill and halted public transport (not an easy feat in a country whose infrastructure is designed with sub-zero temperatures in mind).
Changing seasons
One of the things I most love about Sweden is being able to truly experience winter alongside the contrast of each season – the colours of autumn, the freeze of winter, the awakening of spring and the midnight sun of summer. And the seasons do come – but now with a very unpredictable rhythm it seems. We could be in for another scorcher of a summer, but right now it’s -2°C outside and I can’t see it! The buds and early flowers of spring are fighting to hold their ground against the frost and we are all wondering when spring will truly arrive.
Many might argue that it is not unusual to see snow in April here in Sweden – and no, it’s not. But it is the erratic nature of the weather that causes concern… Today, we woke up to a covering of snow on the ground – when two weeks ago we were enjoying the sun, thinking about picnics and Ben was wearing shorts!?
I see a change.
People who have known this place for much longer than me talk about this change.
The media reports on record heatwaves and snowfalls based on years of scientific data.
Still many people don’t want to talk about this change… this climate change.
But if it is affecting the seasons so visibly like this… it makes you wonder… what else is it doing to the things we can’t see?
I use MailChimp to send you these updates. By clicking 'sign up', you acknowledge that the email address you provide will be transferred to MailChimp for processing in accordance with their Privacy Policy. The full anitatatlow.com Privacy Policy is available here.
